Illustration
Photo credits and licenses
Real photographs from naturalists and photographers worldwide, each used under its own license. Credit: Photo by Thierry Arbault / iNaturalist (CC BY), Photo by Nash Turley / iNaturalist (CC BY) and Photo by askalotl / iNaturalist (CC0). How photos are sourced →
Bleeding Heart
Lamprocapnos spectabilis
Bleeding Heart blooms from April through June.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Bleeding Heart
Plant it in part shade. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–9. Expect it to reach about 2.5 ft tall and 2 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (a house reading).
Is Bleeding Heart toxic to dogs or cats?
- Listed as toxic to dogs and cats by NC State Extension and Pet Poison Helpline.
- Listed as poisonous to people by NC State Extension and Royal Horticultural Society.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Bleeding Heart
Plant Bleeding Heart in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from April to June.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Bleeding Heart get?
2.5 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult2 ftwideSee Bleeding Heart in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Bleeding Heart
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Bleeding Heart about 2 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Bleeding Heart to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Bleeding Heart's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags were checked against 13 published sources on October 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Penn State Extensionheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Walters Gardensheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- University of Wisconsin HorticultureWisconsin Horticultureheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Chicago Botanic GardenPlant Finderheight, hardiness zones, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Nature Hills Nurseryheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- uvm.eduUniversity of Vermont Extensionheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Fine Gardeningheight, spread, hardiness zones and sun
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones and sun
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, sun and bloom months and color
- bygl.osu.eduOhio State University Extension (Buckeye Yard and Garden Line)hardiness zones and sun
- University of Florida IFASUF/IFAS Extension Columbia Countyhardiness zones
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Comes in 5 varieties across 3 colors
Related plants, similar care - pick the color you are growing.
Across the group, bloom runs from April through September: Alba opens first (April) and King of Hearts is the last to finish (September).
Compare every variety in the Bleeding Heart group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alba | White | Apr–Jun | Zones 3–9 | Part shade | 2.5 ft × 2 ft |
| Bleedingthis page | Pink | Apr–Jun | Zones 3–9 | Part shade | 2.5 ft × 2 ft |
| Burning Hearts | Red | May–Jun | Zones 3–9 | Part shade | 10 in × 16 in |
| Gold | Pink | Apr–Jun | Zones 3–9 | Part shade | 2.5 ft × 2 ft |
| King of Hearts | Pink | May–Sep | Zones 3–9 | Part shade | 10 in × 16 in |
| Valentine | Red | Apr–Jun | Zones 3–9 | Part shade | 2.5 ft × 2 ft |
Good to know about Bleeding Heart
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Safety
Every part holds isoquinoline alkaloids and is mildly toxic to people, cats and dogs if eaten. The sap can irritate skin, so handle it with gloves. per NC State and Penn State
Worth knowing
After it blooms, the whole plant yellows and dies back to the ground by midsummer, then returns from the roots next spring. Do not assume it has died. per NC State and Penn State
Sources differ on soil pH
NC State says neutral to alkaline (pH 6.0 up), Penn State slightly acidic to neutral (6.0 to 7.0). They overlap near neutral; drainage and steady moisture matter far more. per NC State and Penn State
Fill the summer gap
Site it among later-emerging shade companions that grow in as it fades: hostas, ferns, astilbe, hardy geranium and heuchera. Or drop annual impatiens over the spot. per Wisconsin and Penn State
Deer and rabbit resistant
Deer and rabbits reliably leave it alone. The same toxic alkaloids that make every part poisonous also make the foliage unpalatable to browsers. per NC State and Penn State
Native relatives skip dormancy
Dislike the disappearing act? The native fringed and Pacific bleeding hearts (Dicentra eximia, Dicentra formosa) stay smaller (around 0.3 m), bloom far longer, and keep their foliage all season. per Wisconsin and Clemson
Modest pollinator draw
The spring flowers feed bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, but the nectar sits in spurs mainly long-tongued bumblebees can reach, so it is a specialist forage rather than a magnet. per Clemson and NC State
What pairs well with Bleeding Heart
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Camellia
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in midwinter, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Northern Sea Oats
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in midsummer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Rosebay Rhododendron
Shares part shade and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into late summer; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; both offer pollinator forage.
American Wintergreen
Shares part shade and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into midsummer; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; both offer pollinator forage.
Blue Wood Aster
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in late summer, extending the bed's season; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Zigzag Goldenrod
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in late summer, extending the bed's season; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Snowdrop
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in late winter, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; lower at 5 in, for the front of the border.
Hellebore
Shares part shade and moderate water; opens in late winter and overlaps into this one's season; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; echoes the pink.
Featured in these guides
Explore similar plants
You might also like
Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.